Page 44 of Woods of the Raven

“What’s wrong?”

“You hafta tell her,” they growled, jaw clenching, glaring at me.

“Yes,” I agreed as JJ took hold of a piece of my hair that had come loose from the tie, wrapped it in their little fist, and plopped down into my lap. I noticed they had a stone clutched in their right hand. “What’s happening here?”

“I want it, but the lady wants it too.”

“What lady?” They pointed, and I saw one of the women who’d come with Declan. “Well, your mom is there, so tell her I said it’s yours.”

They opened their hand, and I saw a lovely piece of purple labradorite. It was rare, or rarish, certainly nothing to fight over. “Will you make it clean?”

“You’ve been carrying it around, honey, so it’s pretty good now. It’s got all your excellent mojo on it.”

They laughed as I bent and blew on the stone, feeling how happy it was to be with the child in my lap. Many people thought stones, crystals, and rocks were simply that and nothing more. But science, not witchcraft, told us they vibrated. They had energy, stored it, and therefore could say, so to speak, where they wanted to be. I couldn’t count the times I’d seen people pick up crystals, only to have them somehow slip through their fingers, be retrieved, and then drop again. That was always a sign. And if, conversely, the stone stayed in your hand and there was immediate warmth, then it was supposed to belong to you. This one, in particular, liked JJ.

“Hey,” Cass greeted her uncle, taking a seat beside him, and from the look on his face, he was surprised. “I was thinking we should make dinner tonight.”

It took him a second to respond. I understood. Having made the transition from insane to normal several times in the past myself, I knew it could take a bit to readjust.

“Uncle Lorne?”

“Sorry, I—okay.”

She was looking at him like she was worried. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah. Fine.”

“Okay,” she said after a moment. “So then, we’ll cook?”

“You mean you,” he replied, squinting at her. “We both know I suck at cooking.”

“Yes, I mean me.” She was chuckling, and it was a good sound. I saw the beginnings of a smile curl his lips.

“Well,” he said, “we can stop on the way home and get stuff, but first I have to talk to Xander about a few—”

“Why doesn’t Xander have dinner with us?”

“No, no, no,” I rushed out. “I wouldn’t want to impose on family time or—”

“I think that’s a great idea,” Lorne said, grinning. “That would be perfect. Shall we say seven?”

“It’s supposed to rain tonight, and since I have to ride my bike—”

“Why don’t we pack up your stuff now,” Cass began, standing up and smiling at me. “There’s not much left, and then you can just come home with us.”

“Are you in trouble if you go to a policeman’s house?” JJ asked me.

“No, buddy, not at all.”

But the way Lorne was looking at me, I wasn’t sure I was telling them the truth.

It was very gracious of Lorne to take the bullet for me with Amanda. He explained he had questions for me about an ongoing case.

“You’re lucky Declan thought you were sweet and that the chief was the one who was rude by pulling you away from your stall.”

“Sweet?” That wasn’t me at all.

“We’re going to have a do-over when you and I have lunch at his place next week.”